~ Serving with MAF in Timor-Leste

Just a week…

I was pondering in the shower this morning, as i often do, what i could write a blog about this week. It’s been a busy week so i haven’t really had time for deep or profound thoughts, so i thought you might like a little glimpse into what a week in our lives looks like…. so here goes…

Friday

Sam’s 6th birthday! Jason’s day off before being on call for the weekend. So presents, party preparations and people filled the day. We went with Sam to school as his class was singing a song in assembly and he wanted us to watch. Sam wanted a dinosaur party, so we found some decorations, ordered a pinata (the time involved in making one is far too great for the cost of buying one here), Jason carved up a watermelon and our home welcomed many of Sam’s friends, some from church, some from school and many from the neighbouring houses. It was a challenge trying to run ‘pass the parcel’ and explain a dinosaur egg hunt rules in both Tetun and English, but i think we got there. Sam and his friends had fun. Parents were pooped! Two years to recover… Jason says.

Saturday

Jason was on call and headed off before it was light to fly to Same. Sam and i were rather lazy. Sam enjoyed Nutri Grain for breakfast, one of his birthday presents. We spent time on Skype with grandparents and cousins, Sam showing off his birthday presents and Star Wars pyjamas to every one. He kept his new pyjamas on all day. Sam built new Lego sets. Jason came home for awhile, but then had a medevac call so out he went again.

Sunday

Again Jason had a early morning flight, to Suai this time to collect a passenger in time to catch a connecting flight out of Dili. “What’s in the Bible” DVD for church today. More playing with birthday presents and reassembling Lego creations. I love these sets that make three different creations. Sam sat and read a library book to us today, it was a very big deal as this book had CHAPTERS!

Jason comes home. The flight back to Dili was a bit tricky dodging the grey skies and low cloud that has decided to visit. Not at all normal for this time of the year. Phone calls begin about another flight needed this afternoon. Permission is needed from aviation authorities and our MAF boss, so through many phone calls, Jason plays some Lego with Sam, eats some lunch, but then leaves again with cake in hand for afternoon tea to fly to Suai again. Kim decides rest time is in order, so she relaxes on her bed, while she watches Jason twist and turn on the plane tracker on the computer, dodging clouds trying to get to Suai. The weather is too bad and the clouds too low this time and he has to return to Dili. Plans are made to try again tomorrow. Jason comes home and we decide to make the most of the grey cooler weather and walk along the beach to a favorite pizza restaurant for tea.

Monday

Jason is off to the airport for his flight to Suai, as well as leading the MAF Timor-Leste safety meeting, which happens by Skype regularly. Sam heads off to school. Kim and Deborah (another MAF wife) have plans to create a toy library today for the families who attend the disability centre in Hera, where they volunteer each week. For several months, we have been collecting donations and buying some toys to create a library of toys that can be borrowed by the families. This is a new idea and so we are hoping it will help to reinforce some of the skills and knowledge we teach each week, but also provide them with some toys to play with, as many of the children have very few toys at home. So we organised, recorded and photographed toys. We shopped for some extra things we needed, like a borrowing folder, some white boards and bags to store the toys in. We left with to do lists for each of us! Sam comes home from school. Jason comes home from work and a soccer game begins on our front porch between them both.

Tuesday

Sam heads off to school for his first school excursion ever. They are going on the BIG bus to the deaf school as his class is learning about communication at the moment. Jason and Kim have a lazy day! Tuesday and Wednesday are Jason’s weekend, so it’s nice to just stop! We go out for lunch…. just because we can! Talk! Do you have a ‘must talk to hubby about’ list? I often do, and it’s on these Sam free days off that we can actually talk about these bigger issues, dream, plan and find “wow, you were thinking that too?…. so was i!” on various issues.

Wednesday

Sam heads off to school, with a lunch order today. Kim’s busyness has meant no scrolls at the moment. Thankfully lunch orders at school are yummy and cheap! Kim heads off to Hera. Time for the “wheels on the bus” and “if you are happy and you know it” in Tetun, lessons on the letter U and finger printing.

Jason is left at home for a day off, which ends up in a ride on his motorbike up the side of a mountain, calling into Hera to see Kim on his way. He took some cool photos and gained a motorbikers tan along the way. Sam comes home excited with three new readers, one even a Batman one.

Thursday

Sam heads off to school eager for library day! Jason is off to work and Kim enjoys a cup of coffee in the silence, while she finishes a book on her kindle. Oops now late, she needs to rush around, get dressed, hang out washing and get ready in a hurry for a day of errands. Deborah and I head off to the shopping centre to see how many jobs we can tick off our to do list. Get pages of photographs of toy library toys and Hera kids faces printed. Buy some toys to add to the toy library and as a small Christmas gift for the Hera kids. Five shops later, and still not a realistic priced baby doll to be found. Both feeling tired and over it, we realise it’s lunch time, so a sandwich is in order. Off to the supermarket to buy some storage boxes for Hera, one for our kitchen and a little grocery shopping. Zucchinis are in stock! Woohoo! Now to the airport, to print a letter to request permission for the students from Hera to visit the MAF Hangar next week. Deb and I are organising an excursion and picnic lunch for the students. Letter printed, delivered to the airport authorities, towels put in hangar for care packages, current number of care packages counted and hang out with husbands for a bit. Off to the pool to swim some laps. Just make it home before Sam’s school bus. Laminate photographs. Assemble the bags of toys for the toy library.

Not all weeks are like this one…. but it gives you an idea of our lives here!